Problematic Life
by twistoryteller
Summary: Bella Swan doesn't know the new family that's coming to her town; at least that's what she thinks and, at the beginning, things go according to plan even though, some things unexpected happen, but as the days pass by, she will realize that her past has come back to haunt her? AH
1. Newcomer

**Newcomer**

I was hoping they'd stop looking at me and sending me death glares. It was like they were killing me in their minds just because the new kid sat beside me and didn't stop talking to me even though the teacher had told him to.

"What's the problem, Bella?" He asked, turning to me with a worried expression.

"Nothing's wrong, don't you worry about me. I just want this class to be over." I turned away, giving Mrs. Almeida my full attention. I could feel him looking at me but I didn't want to give him the pleasure of knowing the effect he had on me.

Suddenly, the bell rang and I stood up. "May I walk with you?" He asked, squeezing my hand.

"Sure, but I should warn you I'm going outside." I said.

"It's freezing, Bella. Are you sure you want to go?" He asked seeming quite shocked.

"I know it is but I'm going anyway. Feel free to come with me or don't. It's up to you." I said and walked out of the classroom. I didn't feel him by my side so I figured he wasn't coming. I was crossing the school's gate when I felt someone grabbing my arm and pulling me back.

"Wait, please." The velvet voice said. I turned to see who was the idiot that had touched me and I was surprised to see Edward. His perfect shaped face was looking at me with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry. I wanted to follow you but the girls cornered me in the class." I just kept walking. He followed me anyway. I stopped a few feet away from the school and started smoking.

"You really shouldn't smoke." He said with a harsh tone. "It only harms you and gives you no pleasure. I don't know why people do it, seriously."

"Yes, you're right." I said. I looked at his hand which was still grabbing my arm. He noticed and let go of it. I was struck with a painful feeling. _What the hell was that? _I nodded my head trying to make it disappear.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I had no intention of harming you or grabbing you like that." His voice was full of regret like I was, somehow, angry at him.

"It's okay, Edward." I said with a warming smile. "Are you okay?" I patted his shoulder trying to comfort him. Even if I didn't like the way he had touched me, I didn't want him to be sad.

"Yes. Don't worry, love." The second he said 'love' I looked at him with a surprised look. "If there's a problem with me calling you 'love' just tell me. I won't call you that again." He went to grab my hand but I flinched.

"I know you're used to having the girls all over your face but that's not me. I'd prefer if you kept your lovely nicknames to yourself." I regretted the words the second I said them but I was not going to drool over him. _You wish!_

The bell rang and we went back to class without saying a word. For my surprise, Edward sat next to me. I thought he'd be hurt with my words but apparently they hadn't affected him in any way. Actually, he looked like he was enjoying my attitude.

I couldn't stop thinking about the way his touch had felt when he had grabbed my hand and arm. It was like an electrical current was inside my skin, in my own blood. My heart had started racing and my breathing had stopped. _What was that about?_

Edward had arrived school the week before but the fact hadn't been forgotten by the school's student body. Porto isn't exactly one of the biggest cities in the country but the school itself was small. So the arrival of a new student was quite big. Everyone was interested in knowing the story behind Edward and his family. Due to the large amount of gossip in the school, everyone knew the name of Edward's parents and siblings. His father was Dr. Carlisle, the best neurosurgeon in the U.S., and his mother, Esme Cullen.

They had come to Portugal in order to rescue a little kid from a enormous tumor in his head that was said impossible to remove. He had one brother, Emmett, and one sister, Alice. They were all friends with another family that had also recently arrived, the Hale's. Rosalie and Jasper were twins and were dating the Cullens. Edward was the last single Cullen and the most eligible bachelor in school. Every girl wanted her chance with him - the chance to be loved and to have the most exquisite gifts. Actually, you could scratch the love part. They just wanted his money.

I didn't understand them.

The first day of school was always the most difficult one. There were always new kids but this was completely different. The girls seemed not to be able to separate themselves from Edward, knowing that Emmett and Jasper were already taken by Rosalie and Alice, respectively. They were so in love with each other that it was nauseating for me to watch. My friends only said that they're love was beautiful and that it seemed withdrawn from a movie.

One would say that I would disagree but, actually, I didn't. Rosalie and Jasper were very similar to Hollywood performers - with their blond hair and big bright blue eyes. Their bodies were perfect if you liked slightly muscular guys and elegant woman bodies. If I didn't know better I'd say that my friend, Flávia, envied them. She seemed displeased with them. It made me wonder if she hated them for some stupid reason. They had just arrived from another country and, though, they seemed to be adapting pretty well and fast, I thought that we all should be even more welcoming to the newcomers.

Alice was extremely short for an American girl. I knew this was a stereotype but I always thought that Americans were strangely tall... She had the cutest face, black spiky hair and an elegant figure despite her small stature. Her brother, Emmett, was her opposite. He was tall, buff and big. Like his sister, Emmett had black hair but his was curly. They both had bright green eyes like their brother, Edward.

Every girl thought that Edward was the guy to have and I was extremely uncomfortable when my friends started plotting their strategies, betting to see who would catch his eye. I didn't know why but a bunch of them bet on me.

"You're being ridiculous. Edward and I won't be a couple. We're not even friends. What's wrong with all of you?" I frowned, displeased with their attitude. _Where are their manners? Seriously? They are betting on me?_

"Oh, Bella. You can't fool us. I mean, we all saw the way Edward was looking at you during class. He's clearly interested in you." Joana said. She smirked with a playful expression on her face, almost like she thought she knew something I wasn't aware of. I didn't like it.

"Stop looking at me like that. He's just another colleague like Júlio or Lucas. I've just met the guy and you're already planning my wedding. Geez, you need to calm down you're hormones." I huffed and walked away. I couldn't hear it anymore. _They're full of crap. Edward doesn't even know me. _The school day had ended and I was already sick of school.

I was looking for my ear buds inside my awfully full purse when I walked into something hard. Disoriented, I thought I had just gone against a wall.

"Are you okay, Isabella?" The velvety voice said. I looked up and saw his beautiful face. _Are you serious? Couldn't I stumble on Bruno or anyone else for that matter? No, no, poor Bella has to stumble on Edward. Huh. _I rubbed my forehead. Apparently, I had hit him in the chest and was the only one complaining about it.

"Yes, sorry. I was distracted looking in my purse. Note to self: Watch where you walk." I laughed coldly. "And please, call me Bella. I already told you that I don't like Isabella. Is that okay Eddie boy?" This time, I really laughed. He had the funniest disgusted look I had ever seen. "Sorry." I mumbled.

"Don't call me Eddie. Or Ed. Or whatever. Edward it's perfectly fine and I prefer it that way. Is that okay, Bella?" The look on his face was a little harsh so I stopped myself from laughing any further.

"Sorry. I have to go. The subway that stops in Fórum Maia must arrive any minute now and I can't lose it. See you tomorrow?" I smiled apologetically and hurried through the tunnel on my left, not waiting for him to respond. Fortunately, I managed to catch the subway and relaxed once I was in it. I had twenty-five minutes to spare so I started doing my homework.

Time passed and in a blink of an eye I was arriving at my beautiful home. _Huh, sarcasm. How can you not love it?_ The walls were all painted white and the furniture was all black and grey. It was impersonal. If a stranger walked in, he would say the house was uninhabited and was merely for exposition. As I made my way through the hall were all the rooms were, a memory came back. Edward. I remembered him. _But from where?_

_-Flashback-_

_"Charlie, she won't get out of her room. She says she doesn't want to leave him, she'll miss him too much." Renée's voice echoed through the tiny house. "What do you want to do now? We need to leave, it's not safe anymore." She sounded stressed and worried that something terrible was about to happen. She could sense it, though, Renée could sense that a horrible thing was about to happen. She didn't know how or when but one thing she was sure, Bella was in danger._

_"Tell her he'll meet her there, tell her that we talked to his parents and that he's leaving with us. Lie. She has to come and we need to go to the airport right now!" He was about to explode. He couldn't take it anymore. His daughter was in danger and she refused to leave. He knew what she was doing; she was trying to get her way by pouting. Well, it wasn't going to work, today._

_"Charlie, I refuse to lie to her. If you want, you do it because I won't and you can't make me do it either." Renée said, challenging him to disagree._

_Pissed off, Charlie ran up the stairs and barely stopped at the door of Bella's room. He almost crashed against it because of the speed of his run. He knocked three times and then it burst open. "Bella, you're coming with us." His eyes were full of anger and worry, his face was blank. Charlie knew he was about to lose it._

_"Okay." Bella said. Even though she wanted to say no, to refuse to leave him, Bella knew it was best not to argue with her father when he was like that._

_Once at the car, Charlie sped through the free way, nearly hitting 150 km/h in his Renault Clio. It wasn't a big fancy car but it did the job it was intended to. Renée had already bought the tickets the night before and made the arrangements to get Bella her passport. They were leaving America, trying to find somewhere safe where they wouldn't be recognized or in danger. They were going to Portugal, in Europe. It was a small country next to Spain. If you asked around, you would notice that most Americans didn't know what was Portugal, to them Spain was the only country in the Iberian Peninsula._

_"Dad?" Bella asked looking hopefully to her father._

_"Yes, sweetheart?" He already knew what she was going to ask him. She wanted to see or call her best friend in the world. Charlie didn't understand. How could he? Bella was six years old and was totally dependent on him. _Edward. _The kid was also going to be devastated when he heard of the latest news. He loved Bella._

_-End of Flashback-_

My mom got home a quarter of an hour after me and started unpacking the groceries. Since I had nothing to do and didn't want to upset her, I moved to help her. "Hey mom, how was your day?" It was part of our routine; the dialog was always the same. I would ask about mom's day and the answer would always be the same.

"Fine. How was yours?" Renée tried to sound interested but failed miserably. She was depressed. Ever since Charlie had died, she couldn't bring herself to smile. I knew she tried. She tried for me, but she just wasn't able to fool me. I knew her too well.

"Okay. It was actually quite boring for a first day of school. But two new families arrived town last week. The teenagers are attending my school, stealing all the attention from the normal popular kids. Haven't you heard? You always know the local gossip." I was astonished. Renée was the one who told me everything about everyone's life. I wondered what was bothering her these days.

"I'm overwhelmed at work and haven't had the time to gossip. Who are they?" She seemed tired, like she had given up on life. It wasn't the first time this happened but something told me that this was different. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I looked at her. Her smooth glowing skin was now rough and dry. Her hair was a tangled mess and looked and smelled like it hadn't been washed in weeks. Her face was the worst. There were big dark circles engraved on her skin, like they were part of her normal self. The stress of being a single mother had made wrinkles appear next to her big green eyes. Her mouth was always in a sad smile position like life had been sucked out of her, somehow.

"The Cullen's and the Hale's. Apparently the two families are very close. The head of the Cullen family is a big shot doctor in America, one of the best neurosurgeons, his name is Carlisle. He's married to Esme and together they have three kids - Edward, Alice and Emmett. Esme is a stay at home mom. I don't know much about the Hale family. I only know that Mr. Hale is a business man who was sent here to help some enterprise rise to life. He and his wife, Bree, have twins, Rosalie and Jasper. I don't know anything else, and I don't think I have the wrong information." I said, shaking my head, trying to determine if I had missed or forgot something. I couldn't remember anything else.

I didn't like to gossip but it was something that helped my mom to overcome her depression state, somehow. I was so distracted by my own thoughts that I didn't realize the shocked and horrorified expression on my mom's pale face. She had gasped when I had mentioned the Cullen's. _Why?_

"The Cullen's? Are you sure?" She managed to stutter. Her eyes were wide and her heart beat faster. I knew this because I could hear it in the silence that had swallowed my house.

"Yes. I remember now that I was meaning to ask you something. How come I have memories of myself with Edward Cullen?" I asked, narrowing my eyes, trying to read her expressions.

"I guess it's time to tell you a story." She sighed and sat on the sofa. She patted the seat next to her, telling me to sit down. "We and the Cullen's go way back. It all started when your father and I lived back in the U.S. We were young and we made a stupid mistake…"

* * *

_**AN: **__Hi y'all. This story is set in Portugal, Europe. It's easier for me to write that way because I'm more familiar with Porto than Forks, in Washington DC. I hope you guys can understand. __I don't know how these things normally work but I hope you can be kind enough to show me the ways around here. I need all the help I can get and I'd appreciated it greatly.__I'm looking for a beta-reader so if you know someone or if you would like to do it for me, let me know okay? __Right, back to the story... So, only the Cullen's enter in this fic, there will be no Jacob, Sam, Angela, etc. The names of the characters will be mainly Portuguese._

_PM me or review, tell me what you think. __Leave me love or hate..._

_Take care,_

_Pipa_


	2. Unknown Past

**Unknown Past**

"So, basically you're telling me that I know Edward Cullen since a toddler?" My jaw was wide open with shock. "In short: you and Charlie were teenagers and escaped your homes so that you could be together. All of this because you were supposed to marry some guy named Phil Dwyer. You didn't have any money so you decided that it was a good idea to steal a liquor store and ended up getting caught. Turns out the store belonged to the Cullen family and they said that if you helped around the house, doing some tasks, and delivered some messages, they wouldn't press charges. Meanwhile, you became friends with Carlisle and his soon to be wife, Esme. The crime was forgotten and I ended up becoming friends with all of their kids including the Hale's, Rosalie and Jasper. Edward and I were best friends. Wow, it's hard to believe. I thought I was born here in Portugal and turns out I grew up in the U.S.?"

I was already feeling dizzy. I got up and drank a glass of water with sugar, dreading to pass out.

"Bella, are you okay?" My mom was extremely worried. Mostly, because she thought I would be upset with her. _I should be._

"Yes, don't worry. But I don't remember anything from that time. Why?" I tried to figure out some explanation but my mind was blank. All I could think about was Edward. I was pretty sure he was very hard to forget. That blowzy bronze hair was extremely sexy. How could someone forget about _that_?

"Your father and I decided it was best for you to forget about your past since we weren't coming back. We told you that you had grew up here and after a while you started believing in our lies. We never told the Cullen's and the Hale's where we were going. No one could know, it would risk your safety and that was the most important thing to me and Charlie."

Renée was biting her lip so badly that it started to bleed because of the skin that was pulled with her teeth.

"Why was I in danger?" Now I simply was confused. "You never told me we lived there and now you're saying that it was because of my safety that we left? Was someone after me? Why?" I was intrigued. What had happened in the U.S.?

"Bella I'll tell you all about it someday, maybe tomorrow but now you have to prepare for class." She got up and went to the kitchen. I could already hear the sound of beating drawers and boiling water.

"You tell me right now. I have the right to know. It is my life." I was pouting. _Great, now I'm a five year old kid; sweet._

"Baby, I'll tell you but not now. I promise." She was looking at me with the most adoring expression. That was a first; normally she would never look at me like that. I knew it wasn't on purpose; she just wasn't capable of it anymore. Charlie's death was very hard on her.

"Pinky swear?" I smiled. "If you don't then I'll just keep asking you the same question. I'll never be silent." I laughed. I knew she wasn't patient enough to endure it.

"Okay. Now, please set the table for when dinner is ready. And don't complain about it. It's your obligation." She pointed her index finger at me and left to the kitchen once more.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Second day of school; I can do this_. The alarm clock rang three times before I unplugged it. Normally, mornings were quiet and fast. I made my way through the subway trying to get a seat but it seemed that today I had to stand on my own two feet. Bruna had texted me earlier saying she wouldn't come with me to school because she was sick. So, my morning company was gone.

When I arrived at school I was shocked to see a bunch of people next to the school's gate. Only smokers endured the cold breeze and rain of the Portuguese winter. The rest would stay inside, where they could enjoy the heaters that the school had bought the year before. I looked around trying to see if I knew anyone and smirked when I saw a bronze mess of hair in the middle of the group. I realized that people were circling the newcomers, asking questions or trying to befriend them. I decided I would stay outside to smoke but with a safe distance between me and the other group.

"Bella. Come here." I looked to see who was calling me and smiled when I saw Lucas, waving his hand for me to come join them. He was with the others.

"You come here. I'll suffocate if I come anywhere near you." I said between laughs. He walked to me and planted a kiss on my cheek when he was close enough. "So, what's going on over there? I'm afraid for the new kids."

Lucas eyes brightened upon the sound of my voice. He seemed always happy to see me. At first it was awkward because we used to be girlfriend and boyfriend but then we got used to it.

"Don't worry about them. They'll survive. Come, we have to go to class or Mrs. Madeira is going to scream at us." He grabbed my hand and escorted me through school. _Always the gentleman._

I was so distracted doodling in my notebook that I didn't notice when the chair next to me creaked. "Good morning." The velvety voice said. I looked at Edward and gave him a quick nod, while smiling. "You're beautiful." His eyes were unfocused and his face blank.

"Thank you." It was all I said. I now knew that I had grown up with him but he and the others hadn't mentioned anything to me. So, I presupposed that they also didn't remember. "Are you okay?" He still had that look on his face.

Edward blinked a few times before answering me; like he was trying to concentrate again. "Yeah, I'm fine. Do you want to go and grab lunch with me? I could use some company." He was smiling so much that I thought he was going to rip his lips.

"I already have plans with Lucas and some other friends but you're welcome to come with us. I'm sure everyone would like it; specially the girls!" I winked at him.

"Hum, I was thinking of lunching just with you but that's okay. I'm happy if you're there." He turned to look away when Mrs. Madeira called him. At this point my face was bright red, was he flirting with me?_ Wrong girl._

"So Edward, how come you are eating with us and not with your family?" Lucas asked. He looked quite upset for some reason and I had no idea why.

"Well, they usually lunch at the cafeteria and today I didn't feel like eating that kind of food. I thought maybe it would be a good experience to come and lunch with you guys. Maybe I'd do some new friends. I'm hoping to fit in, you know." Suddenly, Edward was very interested in his plate full of food. He seemed to be embarrassed._ But why?_

"Well, a friend of Bella is a friend of mine." Francesco said. Everyone called her by her last name but in reality her first name was Beatriz. She was a very open and friendly person, who got along with everyone. She was one of my best friends.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I didn't get your name..." Edward said with an apologetic smile.

"You can call me Francesco." She said, waving her hand dismissing his 'I'm sorry' smile.

"So, Edward, where did you learn to speak Portuguese? Do you have a girlfriend overseas? Why did you come here?" I didn't know why but Lucas didn't seem very fond of Edward, like he thought of him as his enemy. He was always asking him questions._ Maybe he's intrigued?_

"Lucas, stop. Edward is not in an interrogation room. Geez, give the guy a break." I said, looking at him with my fierce expression.

"It's alright. Before we came, my dad enrolled all of us in a school where they taught Portuguese. No, I don't. I don't believe that long distance relationships work. My dad came to Portugal to help a patient and he thought it'd be a good idea for us to stay here for a while - to know other cultures." Edward said in a very matter of fact way.

"That's very generous of him." I said. I really hoped I could do something for the world someday, something that would help the community.

"Yeah, do you want to get coffee at the end of the day?" His eyes were full of hope and he seemed very confident.

"She can't. She's going to help me study Math." Lucas promptly said.

Lucas and I were together for many years, four to be exact. We were only twelve years old when we began dating, if you could call it that. With time and maturity, the relationship grew into something pretty serious. But we began to fall apart, we wanted different things in the future and even though we attended the same school, we didn't have the time to be with each other. He had Jiu Jitsu, MMA and Muay Thai practices every day and I needed to study hard for the tests and exams in the end of the school year. So we broke up and stayed friends.

_-Flashback-_

_"But I love you. You know that, even if I don't have the time to be with you. You know I would if I had." Lucas said with a sad expression in his face. I had said that I couldn't be in this relationship anymore._

_"I know and I love you, too. I need to concentrate in school; I can't afford to be distracted every time some girl talks to you. I can't afford to be upset or jealous. You know how I get, I can't do anything and my grades start to drop. In spite of what you say and even though I believe every word, my body just doesn't give a crap. It gets crazy and I have to deal with it. I'm just so tired of missing you like crazy, of getting mad at you for every little thing that you do. We don't have time for each other anymore." I just couldn't take it._

_"I know. I get crazy, too." He said, pleading me with his eyes not to do this._

_"You can't afford to get suspended. You fight with every boy that gets near me, that touches me." I was shaking my head. All I wanted to do was grab his hand, pull him towards me and never let go. I wanted to melt with him, to unite us in one. My body was calling him, needing him. My blood was boiling with desire and my heart knew it would never be complete without him. "You almost killed Fábio when we went to grab a cup a coffee. You were lucky he didn't involve the police."_

_"I know that. Don't you think I know, Bella? But you know I can't leave you, I need and love you too much! And he liked you; he was trying to get you, knowing that I wasn't able to be with you. He thought that if he was your shoulder to cry on, you would leave me. He wanted to kiss you and touch you like I do. I just... You were fragile and he wanted to take advantage of that." He was starting to get desperate._

_"I'm sorry but I can't. I love you." I kissed him hard one last time, letting my lips taste his skin and savor the moment. My fingers were pulling his hair and my body melted into his. When we pulled a part I whispered one last I'm sorry and turned and ran away from him. I didn't go to school that week. I couldn't face him, it was too early._

_-End of Flashback-_-

So now here we where, we managed to stay friends… it was hard at first.

Extremely hard, but we had the same group of friends and we saw each other every day in class, we had to stay friends. Now we were eighteen, two years had passed since we had broken up and I had realized that back then I wasn't truly in love and that I was merely in love with the idea of love. I was too young.

"Don't get all possessive over me." I said to Lucas. "But he's right Edward; I promised him I would help him. Maybe we could get together some other time?" I asked. I didn't want to hurt his feelings but I wasn't crazy to spend time with him either. I had to study. If I didn't allow myself to have a boyfriend because it was time consuming why would I spend my time with him?

"Sure." The look of chagrin in his face made my heart hurt. "Maybe some other time." He repeated what I said.

After a while, Edward stood up and left us alone. The atmosphere was tense and you could almost feel the bitterness in the air.

Finally." Lucas said snorting. "I thought he was never going to leave."

"What's your problem with him?" Flávia asked. She was defending Edward.

_That's a first; she never defends anyone but herself._

"He's an idiot." Lucas said with anger mixed in his normally soft voice. "You're all heads over heals with him but he's a jackass." I knew Lucas wouldn't insult anyone without a reason, even if it was a stupid one.

"What makes you say that?" I was surprised by his attitude towards the newcomer; he was just a guy trying to fit in. _A extremely gorgeous one_.

"Lucas is just saying that because of what Edward said in the guys' locker room after Physical Education, Bella." Júlio said. "And he's right. He's a womanizer and he'll try to get you, he said that he had to have you." He was upset - I could see it in his expression by the way his eyebrows were together.

His eyes didn't have their normal warm glow that invited us in.

"What? Well, he can forget about that. I don't date." My lower lip stubbornly pouted and I crossed my arms across my chest.

"He seems a good guy. I'm usually right about people, I don't understand." Francesco said, she was trying to decipher his attitudes.

"We told him that and he only said that he always got what he wanted." Júlio was warning me of Edward's persistence.

"This time he won't." _Who does he think he is? _Why the heck would he think he could change my mind if he doesn't even know me? It was beyond me.

Finally the school day had ended and I was now entering my house.

"Bella!" Renée screamed my name like she was afraid I wasn't going to show up at home. "You're late. I was worried, you should've worn me." Even though, her expression was serious, her voice was full of relief.

"I wasn't able to catch the first subway after school ended. Is everything okay?" Normally she wouldn't make such a big deal out of my delay.

"Yes, yes. Do you have homework to do? If you don't, I was thinking of maybe telling you the story you wanted me to tell you so badly yesterday. What do you think?" I was surprised by her idea; Renée seemed reluctant to tell me the story when I confronted her about it. Something had changed and I wasn't having a good feeling about it either.

"I did my homework while I waited for the subway and while I was in it. So I have all the time in the world. Tell me." I made sure that she knew that I wanted to hear all of the details; I didn't want to miss anything.

"It was summer at the time, and you were already born obviously. You had stayed at the Cullen's place so that your father and I could have some time alone to enjoy ourselves. We didn't go out much, you demanded lots of attention."

She laughed remembering the times I said I was a little princess.

"I had made a picnic and we had decided to eat dinner at the beach. It was kind of romantic and I missed it; the hot dry sand brushing between my toes, tickling my skin ever so lightly. We were finishing dinner when we heard it; a shot."

She looked away. Her eyes weren't seeing me. They were seeing a past were Charlie was still alive.

"We looked around and saw them. Three hooded men, one of them with a gun in his hand and on the sand painted with red, was a young man. They had killed him." Renée's eyes were filled with tears; the man covered in blood was standing right next to her. The nightmares would come again now that she had remembered.

My hand was covering my mouth full of shock and disbelief. "What did you do? Did they see you?" My veins were full of fearful blood, my heart was racing. Even though my mind knew that they were okay, that Renée was right in front of me, it was chaotic.

"No, luckily, they didn't see us. I sure as hell prayed they didn't see us. I was so scared. If it wasn't your father, I'm sure I would've passed out right there. The smell of the blood was disgusting, my hands were trembling and I couldn't stand on my own. Your father was able to see two of the three men faces. When they left, sure that the man lying in the sand was dead, Charlie called the police and we made our reports on what we saw. I told your father that we should've left. That they would come after us but he said that that wasn't right. I knew and I agreed but I was still scared. And, in the end, I was right to be."

She was looking at me, fearing that the men would come after us, after me. I could see now that that was the reason they had left because of me.

"You left because of me, didn't you? They threatened you through me." I lay down on the couch, not able to sustain myself.

"We had to testify against the three men. Turned out they belonged to a feared Italian family, the Volturi. They threatened us, saying that we would pay and you would be the first to die at their own hands. Justice would be made, they said."

Renée's entire body was shaking at this point. The memory was too strong for her fragile mind.

"We didn't call the police. They couldn't do anything and I was too afraid that they would do something worse if they found out. So we left. We said our goodbyes and never looked back." I was shocked with all that Renée had said. I had no idea.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I was upset. My life had been in danger, probably still was, and no one had said one word about it to me.

"I thought it was too much for a six year old. And then, when you were old enough to know, I didn't want to traumatize you. I didn't want you to live in fear like I do." I could understand her point of view but I still thought they should've told me. "You were so sad to leave Edward. He was your whole world." She was remembering everything that had happened between me and him.

"Well, I'm glad he isn't anymore. He's a pig." I stood and walked to the kitchen. My stomach was making guttural noises. I had to eat.

"I don't believe it. Men from the Cullen family always were great gentlemen. I doubt they didn't raise their child that way." Disbelief was plastered all over her face.

"Well, perhaps they didn't. He said that he had to have me. Can you believe him?" Anger was spread across my face and body language.

"Edward Cullen wants you? I have to call Carlisle and set something up. I'm thinking of a dinner. What do you think?" She looked at me for confirmation. "They were such lovely people and also great friends."

"Do as you please. It doesn't matter." I sighed. I didn't want to be the one who deprived her from her friends. I would deal with Edward in my own way and Renée wouldn't be affected by it.

I stood up and grabbed my phone, I wanted to take care of this before I went mad. I searched my contacts and found Edward's number. I didn't remember asking for it neither did I remember him giving it to me. Maybe he had saved it without my knowledge, but how did he do it?

"Hi, Bella. Is everything okay?" Edward said into his phone After the third ring. Renée didn't have the Cullen's phone number.

"Yes, do you mind passing your phone to your father? My mom wants to talk to him. Apparently, they know each other." I didn't want to be the one talking to Edward but my mom said it was the best way.

"Huh, sure. Wait a second." I could hear Edward calling his father in the background. In a minute footsteps were rushing through stairs and a tired man answered the phone. "Hello, Dr. Carlisle Cullen speaking."

"Hi, Dr. Cullen, this is Bella Swan. I don't know if you remember me, I was only six when I left. My mom heard of your arrival and wanted to speak to you." I spoke formally; I had no intention of bonding with him.

"Oh, but of course. I didn't know you were here. I hope everything's okay. Can I talk to your mother, please?" Renée was bouncing on the couch next to me.

"Of course. Hang on." I waved at my mom, signaling for her to grab the phone and speak to the man behind the line.

Renée made arrangements for us to eat dinner with the Cullen's and the Hale's the next night, and I was dreading it.


	3. Dinner

The third day of school arrived with me counting the seconds to the end. I was terrified of what would happen at the reunion between Renée and the Cullen's and the Hale's. I was hoping that everything was forgotten and that Edward's erratic behavior was back to normal. First he seemed to be extremely shy, and then he was a very straight forward person that let everyone know what he thought. Now, he was freaking me out. Edward had said that he _had_ to have me and I was afraid of him. What if he was obsessive or a stalker? I couldn't deal with that. I already had an entire family looking for me, the Volturi.

I only realized I had already arrived to school when Bruna pushed me whilst trying to awake me from my reverie. "Bella, are you listening to me? I was talking to myself for the last fifteen minutes." I felt bad. It was unusual for Bruna to open up to anyone and I had failed to hear her when she had.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried and got lost in my thoughts. Forgive me. What were you saying?" I said. I meant my apology. I was proud of being a good listener and a great counselor, and I regretted not being one to Bruna. Despite my characteristics, I didn't seem capable of following my own advices. I always ended screwing up or hurt because I didn't listen to my rational self.

"It's okay. I know you, what happened? You're raising your left eyebrow whilst joining it with your right one. You only do that when you're deep in thought." That was the truth, Bruna knew me. I hadn't answered her yet and she seemed frustrated. "What's going on?" She demanded.

"Nothing too big, I just have to figure some things out. Is everything okay? Yesterday, you said you were sick..." Bruna seemed to be okay but I didn't think she would skip classes if she wasn't with a fever and normally fevers didn't disappear in a matter of hours. Something wasn't right.

"About that, I wasn't really sick. I just had to see Guilherme, you know I haven't seen him in two weeks and he had the day off. It was driving me crazy. I'm sorry I lied to you." She was truthfully sorry. The tone of her voice was almost like a whisper, it was too low. She was looking down, ashamed of what she had done.

"Hey, it's okay, don't be like that." I brushed her arm with my hand trying to sooth her once more. Bruna was a beautiful girl. She had a square shaped face with big brown eyes covered by long eyelashes. Her smile was welcoming and warm, even though she wore braces, and her teeth were white. Her full lips always seemed to be wearing lipstick, they were naturally reddish. I didn't know how she managed to have such a long dark brown hair, without any split ends, that reached the end of her back.

We were talking when we entered the classroom. And I wasn't shocked when I saw that Edward was sitting next to me. I had a strong feeling in my bowels and it wasn't a good one.

"Good morning, Bella. My father told me you and your mother would be coming to our place tonight, along with Jasper, Rosalie and their parents. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you, you're very different." He eyed me appreciatively, starting in my feet and slowly making his way to my face. His eyes lingered a bit more than necessary in my chest. _He's creeping me out. _A shiver ran through my spine and my body shook unwittingly. Edward misinterpreted my body's actions for lust and desire over him. "Relax." He smirked.

"It's a long story, and you don't have to be sorry. I don't remember any of you, it seems my mind chose to delete all memories of our time together." I was trying to put some space between us when I felt Edward's hand covering mine. I pulled it away immediately but he just grabbed it once more, drawing little circles with his thumb in the back of my hand. My stomach growled in response, telling me that it was not okay for Edward to do this.

"Mr. Miranda, can I go to the infirmary? I'm not feeling so well." I was sure that my face was showing how disgusted I was. The teacher nodded and I made my way through the classroom, being careful enough not to show what was happening between me and Edward. We were going to eat dinner together later that day and I didn't want it to be full with tension and bad atmosphere.

Once in the room with the school's nurse, I requested a phone call to my mother. I was hoping she would let me skip the rest of the day. Renée always seemed to know when I didn't want to or couldn't be at school, she knew that I didn't skip class often because I actually enjoyed it; I liked to learn more about everything. I didn't want to be uncultured and I wanted to be able to go to FEP (Faculdade de Economia do Porto). It was one of the best colleges in Portugal.

Renée didn't object when I asked her to go home. She even took the rest of her day off so that she could be with me. She wanted to gossip, she knew I wasn't really sick. I wasn't sick in two years and I wasn't one to complain for every little thing. I supposed I would say something about the extreme headaches that I had almost every day, when I couldn't deal it on my own anymore. Generic drugs, such as Ben-u-Ron, were no longer making effect, I had taken too many. My body was used to it.

When I got home, Renée was already there, prepared with popcorn and a large blanket for when I started telling what had happened in class and when that was over we would watch a movie. These were the moments I enjoyed the most with her because, for a few hours, she would be content. A smile would be plastered in her face and I couldn't stop admiring her natural beauty.

* * *

After all that I had told Renée, she still made me go to the dinner. She said it would be good to reunite with my past. She thought that maybe some old memories would resurface and I would have more souvenirs of my time with Charlie. I was only nine years old when he passed away.

We were on vacation with the family of one of Charlie's coworkers, Fátima, when he began to have an extreme pain in his chest area that came and went. At the time I didn't realize it was something serious and because of that and the fact that I was still a child, I don't remember the details of what really happened. I remember that Fátima and her husband, Mário, gave Charlie some pain medicine in order to ease the pain in his chest.

Renée probably knew what was going on and begged Charlie not to drive home. We were in Vila Praia de Âncora, near the north border between Portugal and Spain, it was going to be a long drive and she was scared of what could've happened. But he didn't listen to her and, luckily, we didn't have an accident. I was unaware of the situation and without telling me why they were doing this or when they'd be coming back, Renée and Charlie dropped me off in one of their friends' home, vaguely explaining everything to the couple in charge of me.

They took off with Renée driving, I guess Charlie couldn't endure the pain anymore... And once at the hospital, Charlie was immediately seen by a doctor. Nobody explained anything to Renée and she was becoming crazy worried, thinking of what she would be if something went wrong. Charlie died after he had his second heart attack. His heart was to weak and tired of struggling with every presented difficulty.

I stayed at Sandra and Filipe's house for two days and didn't hear anything from Renée during that time. My "uncle" and "aunt" acted like everything was okay, like they didn't have a care in the world. Now that I remember it, I suppose they were trying to be normal, so that I didn't suspect anything. During the second day of my stay at their house I got a gift from my father's friends that stayed with us at Vila Praia de Âncora, it was a deck of Uno cards. I was so excited about it that I didn't notice when Renée arrived from Charlie's funeral. She had the saddest look that I had ever seen, and it made my heart hurt like hell.

We were walking in Parque da Cidade when she told me what had happened with Charlie. I screamed, cried, hit her and cried some more.

_-Flashback-_

_We were sitting beneath an oak when Renée pulled me into her lap, hugging me until I couldn't breathe._

_"Baby, I have to tell you something." Her voice was a mere whisper and her eyes were full of unshed tears. She took my hand in hers and kissed every spot and in the end, she stroked her cheek with my hand, trying to calm herself in the process._

_"What's going on mom? Is everything okay?" I was extremely worried with her by the time she began to sob. People started to look at us when Renée was out of breath because of crying so hard. I thought that she couldn't see me anymore; her eyes were so red and swollen. I hugged her until she calmed down and was able to speak._

_"Ch... Charlie is... You won't be able to see daddy anymore, sweetheart." I could feel her struggling with her own words. I was strangely calm. My mind couldn't understand the meaning of her words. _I don't understand, where's daddy?

_"When is he coming back, mommy?" I thought that perhaps he had to leave town because of some business meeting around the globe. My mind refused to acknowledge what she was saying._

_"Daddy's never coming back, my dear. He's with grandma and grandpa in heaven now, watching over us. He misses you so badly..." Her voice was failing and her whole body was trembling. Tears were forming in her eyes once more. _No, no, no, no, no, no... Daddy!

_"Daddy's de... Why, mommy? I don't want daddy to go. I miss him, I need him. Who's going to help me now? I need my daddy! I love daddy, tell him. If you tell him, he'll be back. Please Jesus don't take my daddy away from me." My hands were together, I was on my knees begging God to bring my dad back to me and my mom. I didn't realize I was screaming and crying until Renée grabbed me and rocked us back and forth._

_-End of Flashback-_

I didn't realize I was sobbing until I saw my dress completely full of patches of crying. I cleaned myself up, re-did my make up and went to the living room to wait for Renée. While I was waiting for my mom, I prepared myself for a long dinner.

"Bella, are you ready?" Renée asked when she entered the living room.

"I was ready half an hour ago, mom." I said rolling my eyes. I didn't understand how someone could take so much time preparing for one stupid dinner.

"Don't be like that. Put a big smile on your face and be friendly. I haven't seen the Cullen's or the Hale's in years! And I'm quite surprised they're not mad at me. Charlie and I just vanished without so much as an explanation." She said in a very matter of fact way. I was standing beside the front door by now, holding it open for Renée.

"Come. You don't want to be late." I said. I closed the door as she passed me and called for the lift. "Wait. Don't you want to lock the door? You know how this neighborhood is." There had been a few thefts the last couple of weeks. They had broken down the doors and stole expensive items, selling them at the black market later on.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot!" She ran to me and gave me the keys to the apartment. Even though we lived in the fifth floor, I wasn't sure if that would stop the robbers from coming. I had read in a newspaper about a man who had climbed eight stories through a water pipe. _Who does that? _I was amazed, to say the least. Not by the theft itself but by the way he had got to the apartment.

The ride to the Cullen's place was fairly quiet and neither of us had spoken a word as we listened to the radio and sang along with the music. I wasn't a fan of pop music but Renée seemed to like it.

As we reached our destination, I was worn not to make a scene by Renée. Unlike me, she gave too much importance to what other people thought of her. I used to say they should mind their own business but that didn't stop her from telling me how a lady should behave amongst others.

Since I was a toddler I was told to stand up straight and to speak with the right pronunciation. I should be careful with what I wore and I shouldn't make a fool of myself while I was in company of important and respected people. I was a Swan and I had to maintain and preserve my family name. I was, indeed, a lady with capital L.

"Mom, how long will we be staying there?" We hadn't even reached Edward's house and I was already dreading his company. What if he wanted me to go with him to his bedroom? Surely he wouldn't be like that whilst in the presence of his siblings. _I sure hope not._

"Now Bella, we were invited to this dinner to reminisce and we will stay as long as our company is requested. I know that you don't like Edward but you have to remember that you're a lady and you _will_ endure his company as long as it's necessary. I'm certain that Carlisle wouldn't let you feel uncomfortable in their presence and Edward won't want to embarrass his parents. I highly doubt he is as you have described him. Esme always said her male children would be gentlemen." She didn't even glance at me. She didn't believe me. Well, I was going to prove her wrong.

We parked in the Cullen's driveway and I immediately was astonished by the greatness of their mansion. It surely couldn't be called a house - it was too big and had a certain power to it.

We were greeted by an old man, probably one of the servants, dressed in a black simple suit with a black tie. He guided us through the 'palace' to a large room where our host was waiting.

"Welcome, long time no see, Renée." Carlisle said with a big smile plastered on his face. "You look as beautiful as ever. One could say you haven't aged at all." He approached us and hugged Renée. She was right, he was a gentleman.

"You must be the lovely Bella. I almost didn't recognize you, you're a woman now." Carlisle said playfully. I gave him my hand which he shook happily. As we were talking, the others approached us and every one hugged me and Renée while we presented ourselves.

"Bella." Edward said formally. He had a look in his eyes that I couldn't understand. He seemed a totally different person than he was at school - almost gentleman like.

"Edward." I smiled. I was nervous, I didn't remember any of this people and they all acted like we knew each other for years. Well, we actually did but it was still weird for me.

"Come. Let me show you our home." Esme said. She was so kind towards us. Neither of them seemed to hold any grudge against our sudden departure. She grabbed both of our arms and started pulling us towards the nearest room.

"I don't want to intrude but where's Charles?" Bree interrupted. Her voice faltered, afraid of what the answer might be.

Renée's happy smile fell and was replaced by a broken-hearted one. I cringed at the question. It didn't occur to me that they didn't know about Charlie's death. I grabbed my mother's hand and squeezed it gently.

"He passed away nine years ago..." She looked down at her feet and started playing nervously with her fingers.

I heard the shocked and horrified gasps as everyone absorbed her statement. Words of solace were heard throughout the room as people started to give us their condolences. After a few minutes, when Renée was recomposed, Esme gave us a tour around the mansion trying to lighten the air that was suddenly heavy.

"Oh Esme, you have such a lovely home!" Renée praised. "Are you still and interior designer?" We were both marveled by the beautifully designed chambers.

"I stopped a few years ago but I redecorate every room when we move to a different city." Esme said quite proud of herself, I might add.

She showed us around, explaining every little detail about every piece of furniture. It was boring for me but Renée was interested. I excused myself to go to the bathroom and immediately after I closed the door behind me, I felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around my waist. I stiffened at the touch.

I turned around to see Edward's idiotic face smiling like this was normal behavior between us. I pushed him away, keeping a good two meters of distance amongst us.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I almost shouted. I stopped and tried to calm myself down. There was no need for us to make a scene. This was supposed to be a reunion, not the beginning of a conflict between me and Edward - which would make everyone uncomfortable.

"What does it look like? I'm holding my girl." He laughed. I thought I heard a little bit of insecurity and nervousness in his tone. But that was impossible.

He took a step forward and I took one back at the same time. "Don't tell me you're scared of me, Bella." He mocked. The truth was I wasn't afraid of him anymore, now I was merely pissed off.

"What? We're not together and you know it! If you don't then you should." I said confidently. "I don't know if you have some kind of mental problem. One minute you're all gentleman like and you're looking at me like I'm some precious rock, the next you're behaving like an obsessive person - maybe a little stalkerish." I purposely looked directly at his eyes and saw a glimpse of guilt cross them. It was gone the next second.

"You think too much, dear Isabella." He said dismissively and walked away.

I didn't understand him. And I didn't know how many times I had said that before. His behavior seemed to be out of balance. Actually, it didn't_ seem_, it _was_. And what unnerved me the most was the fact that I liked it when he was sweet and thoughtful. He was a pain in the ass, it was settled. Edward Cullen was nothing but a pain in the ass.

I came back to keep Renée company while Esme continued the tour and after a while Mrs. Hale came too. Carlisle sent a servant to tell us dinner was ready and our presence was requested in the dining room.

I wasn't surprised to see that room itself was bigger than Renée's room and kitchen together. The table was set with silver and crystal glasses. The embroidered cloth was beautiful with its floral designs. I usually didn't like those types of things.

I was seated between Edward and Renée to my disgust. The conversation flew lightly throughout dinner and everyone was laughing pretty hard when my mother told them about my clumsiness.

But my parents escape was brought up as the waiters served dessert. "Renée, I know this is probably a shaky subject but why did you and Charles ran away with Bella?" Carlisle asked. Everyone turned their heads to hear the conversation occurring between them.

"It's a long story and I need to ask you discretion." Renée paused to see them nodding their heads and began to tell the dramatic story.

* * *

The Cullen's and the Hale's had reacted pretty well when Renée finished telling them the reason of our escape. They had asked worriedly if I was safe now and offered resources and kind words to help us. They were trying to convince her to speak to the police or at least to learn or to hire protection if needed.

I was walking around the mansion when I heard angry whispers from the chamber next me. I opened the door softly and heard my name. I peeked and saw Rosalie and Emmet sitting in a loveseat while Alice and Jasper sat on the floor, curled together.

"Rosalie, you can't be serious." Alice said shocked.

"She's probably suspicious already. We need to corner her and try and get information out of her." Rosalie said sure of herself. "What if she goes and tells the whole school about Edward? He would never be the same." She sighed sadly.

"Bella's not going to figure out anything. And if she did, Edward wouldn't give a crap about it because he'd be loaded with meds. If not, he'd just follow her everywhere like he already does. He doesn't know he's creeping her out, but you know how he is." Emmett said amused.

"Emmett, how can you say that so normally?" Alice admonished.

"He'll either stop or continue. It's quite simple in fact. And it doesn't matter to me because he's done it before and we hid it from our parents. He was fine once we made him take his meds again." He said in a very matter of fact way. I gasped as Emmett's word sank in. Edward was mentally ill.

I walked away without them noticing and hurried down the stairs. I was about to tell Renée we were leaving immediately when Emmett approached me. "Hi, Bella. We didn't have a chance to speak tonight. Come and join us. We're going to the game's room." They all had a chance, they just chose not to. But I wasn't going to point that out, I was too frightened.

I looked at everyone trying to see if they all wanted my presence and was surprised to meet Rosalie's hateful stare. She blinked when she realized she had been caught and her eyes held nothing but welcoming now.

Alice was the most cheerful one. Always making sure I had a part in the conversation going on. Seeming excited to be with me.

"Bella, you must come with me and Rosalie shopping! I can imagine it already. I'm sure we would come back with lots of bags. Everything looks good on you!" She said while clapping her hands in excitement.

"I'm sorry but I have to decline your offer. Fashion isn't my cup of tea as you must have perceived by now." I chuckled not wanting to be rude. I had already been rude to Edward. I didn't know why but he brought out that side of me. I didn't know how I could still have kind thoughts towards him when I knew what he had done.

"I agree Alice. We don't even know if Bella is in any condition financially to go in a shopping spree with us." Rosalie spit. They all gasped as the realization of her words hit them.

"Rosalie." Edward snarled. "Don't be rude. Bella's a guest and I'm sure that my sister and all of us would be happy to offer her anything." He said admonishing his friend. "I'm sorry, Bella. My great friend doesn't know what she says some times. She meant no harm. Right, Rosalie?" He asked in confirmation. She nodded her head, blushing ashamed.

Soon the confrontation was forgotten and we were all watching _Horrible Bosses._ The air was tense from their previous conversation. Jasper just kept looking at me and I shifted in my seat every time he did it. Fortunately, the servant came up and said our presence was required in the library room. I followed with the others as Jasper led the way.

"Children, how nice of you to join us." Carlisle said with a playful smile on his lips.

"Actually, Carlisle, do you think I may have a word with you? There's something I'd like to discuss with you." I whispered as I reached him. He had insisted during dinner, as well as Esme, Bree and Diego (Mr. Hale), to call him by his first name. He saw no point in formalities between families, he had said.

He nodded and led me to a private room, small compared to the others, where a piano stood in the middle of it.

"What did you want to talk about, dear Bella?" He asked very sweetly. Waving for me to sit in a wooden chair next to the one he sat.

"It's about Edward." I took a big breath as I prepared for the next words to leave my mouth. "He's been having strange behaviors around me; erratic. And frankly, I was scared at first because he was becoming obsessive over me. But then he would be sweet and I would forget about it. But I can't do it anymore. He's been bothering me with inappropriate words since I got here." I said in a rush. I was afraid he hadn't comprehended what I had said, it was so fast.

He looked at me knowingly. Like it wasn't the first time this happened. "You see, Bella, Edward's got a problem. It can be solved easily with medication but sometimes he stops taking it and doesn't tell us. This action leads to behaviors as you have described. But I assure you, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you anymore." He looked at me apologetically but pleading with me to be discrete, at the same time.

"What does he have?" I swallowed loudly. I was nervous. What if Edward was a psychopath? Surely, it wasn't that serious.

"It hasn't been labeled yet but with some types of medication, he becomes his normal self again. I hope you can comprehend." He pleaded softly.

"I can't believe you told her! What have you done?" Edward screamed as he entered the small room. He'd been eavesdropping.

I didn't mention to Carlisle the story I had heard earlier - the one about Edward having done the same on someone else. And I didn't know why. Something was completely wrong with me.

"Edward, please calm down. Bella was worried about you and her safety. You've been behaving strangely and I now know why." Carlisle turned to me, smiling apologetically. "Excuse us Bella, but I need to speak to my son alone." He grabbed Edward's arm and pushed it gently.

I sat in the same chair and waited patiently to their return. What had I done? I didn't want to be the reason why they were arguing. I hated that.

I stood and approached the door, leaning slightly on it. I knew eavesdropping was a bad thing but my curiosity took the best of me.

"You have to take you medication, you know that." Carlisle said admonishing him.

"You know I like her. I just forgot about the meds. I was so happy teasing her..." I heard Edward say.

"Son, that's no excuse. You've cared for other girls as well and never stopped." Worry covered his every word. I could almost imagine his expression while his hand rubbed his forehead.

"Dad, there's something you don't know and I'm afraid you're going to snap at me as soon as I tell you." I could Edward biting on his lip.

"What's going on, son? You know you can tell me anything even if I get angry at you in the beginning." Carlisle tried to sooth him.

"Well... Remember Tanya back when we lived in Forks?" He asked slowly. "You know I liked her because I brought her over to our house a few times but what you don't know is the fact that I stopped taking my meds for her." He paced around the hall as he confessed his mistake.

"You did what?" Carlisle asked shocked.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you but she convinced me that I would be alright without them. She said the drugs were stopping me from being myself and she was so convincing. I believed her... And hell broke loose." His hands were clasping the air as if he could catch it.

"For how long?" Carlisle was in full doctor mode by now.

"I'm sorry, what?" Edward asked confused.

"For how long did you stop taking your medication, Edward?" He was exasperated.

"Two weeks." Edward's tone was strong.

"Did anything happen meanwhile?" Carlisle was worried. His head was full of possibilities of what might've happened.

"No, you can relax. Alice and the others made an intervention and I stopped seeing Tanya and started taking my meds again." Edward was shaking his head vehemently.

"When was this?" He couldn't remember when his son had introduced them a girl named Tanya. Surely he would recall.

"Before we moved to Porto and then I met Bella... She's so beautiful. When she told me that we knew each other since babies I was shocked. But last night I remembered some parts. I guess I was too little. You never mentioned her name again, neither did mom." He had a huge grin on his face.

"I thought that I was okay, I was convinced that she would help me improve, that she'd be my cure. I felt great when I was around her, at least in the beginning. Then I started being creepy with her, according to Emmett. I started taking my meds again today after I had a little encounter with Bella and realized I was not okay." He cheeks were burning red; he was embarrassed of his actions.

"You need to apologize Edward and you can't stop taking your medication ever again or I'll have to commit you." I could see the hurt and reluctance in Carlisle's face. He knew this was the right thing to do if Edward was not controlled.

"I was going to beg for her forgiveness when I heard you two talking. How am I going to face her now? She must think I'm a freak." His eyes were glued to the ground. The meds had started making effect and he was overwhelmed with the knowledge of everything that had happened between us.

Something in my heart jumped and it started racing upon hearing Edward's words.

"You weren't in your right mind and she'll understand that. Bella is very mature for her age and, also very wise. Go talk to her and amend things." He patted Edward's shoulder while giving him a hug. He was comforting his son.

"Thank you, father." Edward said, respectful.

* * *

Edward knocked on the door and asked my permission to enter. Obviously, I gave it. It was his house for God's sake.

"I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry Isabella." He said immediately after entering.

"For what?" I played dumb. He didn't know I had listened to their conversation and I was not going to tell him.

"You know what." He was so ashamed he couldn't even bring himself to say the words.

"No, I don't." I smirked.

He sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry for everything that has happened between us since my family moved here. I have a disease, my father told you that much." He was looking at his feet, balancing from one to another, restless.

"I know. It's okay Edward." I cut him off and patted his shoulder like his father had done. I couldn't take it anymore. He was so cute.

"Just let me finish." He said with determination written all over his face. "I know I was a jerk to you most of the times and I wish I could tell you that I had no control over the situation, but I did. I was horrible to you, creepy and almost obsessive over you. That's what _it _does to me. It changes me." He sighed.

"But I want you to know that nothing of that nature is ever going to happen again. I assure you I will not stop taking my meds ever again; only if Carlisle tells me to. I was foolish to stop in the first place." His tone had gradually started to rise. He was whispering when he had started to talk.

"I now know that you didn't mean to be like that. You didn't take your meds and things got bad but everything is fine." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly.

"I understand your actions now." I continued. My eyes were penetrating his. "When did you stop taking your medication?" He hadn't told that to Carlisle.

"I stopped right after the first day of school. I thought I was better, I thought that you would make me better. I was completely wrong. Please, forgive me." He begged in his musical voice.

"Edward, stop." I said when he started to knelt. I grabbed his arms and pulled him up."You are forgiven. But don't do that again." I advised.

"Thank you, Bella. I was afraid you'd start yelling at me or even run away from me." He chuckled, amused.

"I don't think I could." _Where the hell did that come from? _Edward looked at me with a strange look. "I mean... I wouldn't do any of that, I know what happened and I already told you that I forgive you. If you thought I would do that because of your illness than you are wrong." I quickly said.

"I understand. Bella, do you think I could ask you something?" He blushed a beautiful red.

"Sure. Go ahead." I smiled encouragingly and nodded for him to continue. I realized, then, that we were still holdings hands and I removed mine immediately. Edward looked upset because of my movement.

He shook his head to try to put some thought out of his head - to erase it. "I would like to ask you if you would go on a date with me." He looked at me shyly.

He was so beautiful and still, in these moments where he was medicated, he seemed so unsure of himself. When he wasn't medicated, he'd be an arrogant son of bitch; self-centered, even.

"Well... Ask me, then. I didn't hear any question." I chuckled. I missed these moments where I would just give boys a hard time, mostly for entertainment purposes.

"Isabella, would you like to go on a date with me…? Perhaps, we could've dinner." He looked me directly in the eye, through his long eyelashes.

"Stop calling me Isabella." I scolded. "I'm sorry, Edward. But I don't date." I had to focus.

"Why not?" He was surprised by my answer; probably because I was teasing him and gave him the impression that I wanted this. If I was honest, I would say yes, part of me at least.

I could see the hurt and embarrassment in his eyes and in his velvety voice. "Because I have to concentrate in school." I quickly said.

Hope filled his eyes as the words left my mouth. "So, it's not because of me?" He asked promptly.

"No, Edward. If I didn't want to focus so badly in school, grades and college, I'd probably say yes." He smiled. "Probably." I repeated.

"What if I promise you our date won't interfere with any of that?" The grin on his face was contagious.

"You can't do that." The grin disappeared immediately. "It's impossible." I added.

"We shall see." He smiled mischievously.

"We won't because my answer is no." I said stubbornly.

"You'll say yes." He quickly said.

"No." I stuck my tongue out.

"You will…with time." His eyes were shinning. "First, we'll be friends like we once were." I sighed. _What have I gotten myself into?_


End file.
